A Warm Welcome Into the Fold: Joe Bushey

For decades, Draper Aden has remained an industry leader in civil planning, engineering and design throughout the Mid-Atlantic, with offices in Virginia and North Carolina. There is no doubt that the talented, dedicated and hardworking individuals we’ve had the pleasure of welcoming to our team have helped make Draper Aden what it is today. We are a vision-oriented firm and we strive to carry out our values each day by empowering our team of professionals to go out into the world and make a difference. We recently welcomed Joe Bushey to our Site Development and Infrastructure team and couldn’t be more excited about the knowledge, experience and passion for the industry that he brings to our firm. We believe he has a vibrant future here at Draper Aden and we want to catch up with him to see what his first 4 months have been like:

What inspired you most about joining the Draper Aden team?
The opportunity I saw for professional growth, and the opportunity to utilize my experience in Hampton Roads to help grow the Virginia Beach office and make Draper Aden a household name for civil, environmental, and surveying services in this region.

What have your first two months at Draper Aden been like?
It has been great. I am enjoying the projects I’m working on, the people I am working with, the great working environment, and I have felt supported in my transition into this new job.

Talk to our readers a little bit about your industry experience and what you enjoy most about being in Site Development and Infrastructure. I have worked in the fast-paced private sector on commercial, retail, and residential projects. I also have experience in the public sector working with municipalities and institutions. The different types of projects have their own unique challenges. I enjoy working with our clients to address those challenges and provide them with the service they deserve.

Is there anything new that Draper Aden has taught you that you didn’t know before?
Although I have a considerable amount of experience with stormwater calculations and the state’s stormwater management program, I have recently had to become much more knowledgeable about the states permitting process for industrial sites, especially when it comes to determining the sites Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). But what has been great is that Draper Aden has the in-house expertise, and it has just been a matter of finding out who to talk to for answers to questions about this kind of a permit and the environmental testing and sampling that is required. Everyone that I have reached out to for answers to questions has been very helpful.

What is one of the firm’s core values that resonates most with you and why? Respect and Support. When coworkers respect each other and provide support to one another, it makes for a great working environment, which results in providing excellent service to our clients and being responsive to their needs. So much of our day is spent at work, so you have to enjoy going there every day and interacting with your coworkers.

What has been the most exciting project you’ve been exposed to since being at Draper Aden, given that you can speak on that project?
The industrial site I mentioned above has been an exciting project. It has required us to think out of the box to address the client’s site issues, work across disciplines to address structural and environmental needs and work closely with a client who is trying to navigate the regulatory process.

Joe lives in Virginia Beach and is a proud husband and father of three teenage boys. He is an avid runner and cyclist, and he has recently taken up surfing. We can’t thank Joe enough for taking time out of his busy schedule to let us catch up with him. To learn more about what he does and what projects and services we offer, visit our Site Development and Infrastructure division.